Originally Posted by
tartare
Innocent question from fixed wing PPL who has had the odd pole around in an R-22 and even made a miserable attempt or two at hovering.
Is it possible to have a non-teetering two bladed main rotor?
Not as far as I know. See also
this explanation.
If so, if Robinson wanted to change to that kind of rotor - would it require a fundamental re-design of the aircraft?
People have often postulated a three-bladed, fully articulated Robinson rotor head. It would be a major redesign.
Rather than them simply being ****e - I thought the high rate of crashes in Robbies was due to a machine that was originally designed pretty much for point to point commuter type flying - being used by pilots in quite aggressive flight regimes - like hunting or stock herding at low level - which it's not suited to. Low G flight, hard sharp turns or rapid reversals of direction etc.
Only the low-g stuff is a problem. Other than that the machine is quite agile and really very fun to fly without ever putting it into a low-g state. Again, it's an issue of someone putting the machine into a situation that allows it to be in a low-g state. Don't do it advertently. As the article cited above said, use the right tool for the job. When it's 30 gust 50 out a two-bladed machine is probably not the best tool, and a lightweight two-bladed machine is an even worse choice. It's the inadvertent scenario which is the nightmare, say a sudden penetration into unexpected severe turbulence at speeds around max. cruise. Such scenarios are more likely in mountainous, windy conditions. Under such circumstances one must fly conservatively, with a good understanding of mountain winds, and be ready to slow down instantly in the event of turbulence.